Blog
Mar 09
Mindful Eating

Week 9 – Mindful Eating; What is it?

Mindfulness is the ability to shift your attention to the present moment in a non-judgmental manner. It’s about turning your thoughts, feelings, and sensations you are having at that very moment and being able to not react to any sensations or cravings but becoming aware of them. Mindful eating is bringing the present moment awareness to the food and your upcoming eating experience. Both internal cues (e.g., hunger) and external cues (information around healthy eating or eating towards a goal) can be used thoughtfully to navigate they type and amount of nutrition that works best for you at that present time.

 

As with any new skill, it can take time and practice. It’s a good idea to start small and work your way into it. Choosing one meal or snack in a day is a great start.

Here is an example of mindful eating during an eating experience:

  1. Position: Be placed in a spot where you won’t get disturbed
  2. Feel: What does your mouth feel like? How about your stomach?
  3. Sight: Look at the food in front of you. Does it look appetizing in the moment?
  4. Smell: Is the smell appealing?
  5. Touch: Does it feel smooth or lumpy or what you were expecting?
  6. Taste: But don’t chew yet. Leave it in your mouth for a few seconds to experience the flavours and notice whether the flavour changes the longer it sits there
  7. Chew and Swallow

Some Benefits of Mindful Eating:

  • Promotes a healthy long-term relationship with food and your body
  • Increases awareness and understanding of hunger/fullness cues
  • Decision making with nutrition and health goals
  • Finding the balance between eating for health and eating for pleasure
  • Being non-judgemental with food and understanding nutrition and health is a process

This week’s recipe: This week you are going to try and prepare more of a side dish or healthy snack. When preparing this dish, I want you to try and practice mindful eating. Be aware of what sensations you are feeling within the present time and select foods that you feel like eating alongside the corn dish and understanding what foods will also benefit your nutrition and health. A good place to start would be adding a protein source, enjoy!

Jump over to this week’s recipe

Reference: Joseph B., Nelson. (2017). Mindful Eating: The Art of Presence While You Eat. Diabetes Spectrum. (3) 171-174; DOI: 10.2337/ds17-0015

If you have any questions about your diet or would like one-on-one dietary advice from your Able Dietician, send us a message letting us know what you’re after and we’ll be in touch to help you achieve your goals!